A/N: Written for the OQ Fix-it-Fic Week 2017, Day One: Robin Never Died day.
This story presupposes that Tinkerbell is Regina's fairy godmother. Carry on!
A Fairy Godmother's Gift
In the last few moments of his life, all Robin wanted was to stare into Regina's eyes. Those soulful brown eyes that always told him how she was feeling at any given moment. Whether they seethed with anger, squinted in amusement or sparkled with love, Robin easily lost himself in the beauty of her eyes. Though he loathed seeing them well with tears – tears that he had caused – Robin felt at peace. Regina had escaped the blast from the Olympian Crystal and he could see that she was whole and unharmed. While Robin would prefer to spend eternity at her side, his death was a welcome price to pay if it was the cost of Regina's safety.
Robin felt light, almost weightless, as he watched his own body collapse to the floor. He focused on Regina's lovely face – his heart breaking at her watery smile - before a blinding light obscured his vision and he lost consciousness.
"Robin! OI, ROBIN!" A voice bellowed close to his ear. He could hear?
"Robin, c'mon, mate! Get up," The male voice continued to yell. Yes, Robin could most definitely hear. And from the distinctly unpleasant waft of body odor, Robin's nose was certainly working as well. The next step would be to open his eyes. But the prospect was daunting. What would he see? Was he back in the underworld? For good this time?
Two meaty hands grasped Robin's shoulders and shook him, violently interrupting his thoughts. His eyes opened to see a large face looming over him.
"There's our fearless leader!" Little John laughed.
"John?" Robin rasped. "What are you doing here? What's going on?"
"You just had a nasty fall off your horse," Little John explained. "Do you think you can walk?"
"I think so," Robin gratefully took John's hand and pulled himself upright. He rubbed his eyes in an attempt to get his bearings without being too obvious. Once Robin could finally focus, he looked down at himself to see that he was dressed in a tunic and trousers. Clothing he typically wore in the Enchanted Forest. His mind swam with confusion.
"This might sound odd, John," Robin looked into the eyes of his oldest friend. "But…could you tell me where we are? What day it is?"
"You must have hit your head pretty hard," Little John's eyes widened. "We're at the edge of Sherwood Forest. Everyone's agreed to stop for dinner now that we've definitely escaped the guard. Alan and Will helped us get away with an entire chest of gold from…"
"King George," Robin whispered in astonishment. He remembered that day with frightening clarity. An ill-timed entrance had nearly thwarted their heist, but they had managed to make off with the largest amount of loot in years.
"That's more like it! You're starting to make some sense again," Little John clapped him on the back. "C'mon, mate, the others are waiting at the tavern for dinner. I think we've all earned a feast to celebrate our victory, yeah?"
Robin nodded and followed along gamely, still incredibly puzzled about his situation. How had he ended up back in Sherwood with his men? Had the Olympian Crystal sent him back in time? If so…why? What was he meant to do? Go about his life like everything was normal? He supposed that was all he could do.
He didn't remember anything particularly important that occurred on this day. Just the successful heist that had allowed his men and their village to prosper for the entire winter of that year.
Robin rubbed a hand over his face and trudged along toward the tavern. He began to feel strangely lightheaded the longer he walked. Robin's memories of life in Storybrooke were already becoming hazy. A fuzzy, dreamlike quality had overtaken his thoughts of breakfasts at Granny's, Roland's gap-toothed smile after he lost his first baby tooth, Henry's uproarious laughter while teaching Robin how to play MarioKart. Moments that seemed so insignificant at the time that later came to mean absolutely everything.
Most concerning of all, Robin's memories of Regina were fading. Their first kiss by the fire the night he had lost her heart. Her breathtaking display of bravery in the face of Zelena's pure evil. Trading barbs and stealing away together during the missing year. Comforting her over the loss of her son. Watching her from the shadows while she taught Roland to read and sang him to sleep at night. Making love with her.
Every memory felt as distant as a long-forgotten dream, but Robin was determined to hold onto them for as long as possible. Losing Regina in any capacity – even in his memory - was unthinkable.
So it was with a heavy heart and melancholy spirit that he joined his men inside the familiar tavern at the edge of Sherwood Forest. He played along as best he could, taking hearty helpings of roasted lamb, boiled potatoes and stewed vegetables that he washed down with ale.
Robin came to the conclusion that trying to make sense of his circumstances was a fool's errand. For whatever reason, he had been given a gift; Robin was alive and well. He could only hope that the friends and family he left behind in Storybrooke had as much fortune.
After telling a particularly naughty joke, Will grabbed a pitcher of ale from a bar wench and offered to refill everyone's mugs. Robin quirked a smile at Will's antics and raised his glass.
A door slamming startled Robin enough that he dropped his mug. He looked over his shoulder in just enough time to see a flash of white disappear into the alleyway. A tingly sense of déjà-vu washed over him before a crashing wave of realization.
"Regina!" Robin tripped over his own feet in his haste. He clamored to stand up, ignoring the exclamations and jeers from his men. He threw open the door and ran outside.
"Regina!" He hollered again into the cold, dark ally. "Regina, please come back!"
Nothing.
Robin refused to give in to the sinking feeling in his gut. They had come too far and suffered too much to be denied this chance – their third together. This had to be why he had been brought back in time – to this tavern, on this day. Soulmates were meant to find each other, and this would finally be their happy ending. He could almost see it already.
Robin continued searching the alley before a voice sharply called, "Stop!"
He halted in his tracks. Despite the slightly higher tone than he was used to, he would recognize her voice anywhere.
"Why are you following me?" She asked a little meekly.
"I…" Robin hesitated before deciding to let his heart do the talking. "I saw you at the tavern door, milady. I was worried for you when you ran away with such haste. Are you in need of assistance?"
Regina swallowed thickly, her back pressed against a stone wall in the shadows. "No…well, yes. I…" She cursed herself for being so uncharacteristically tongue-tied. "I followed a friend here. She…wanted me to meet you."
Regina exhaled heavily. That wasn't entirely untrue. She leaned even harder into the stone, grateful for the darkness that concealed her from this man. Her soulmate.
"She wanted you to meet me?" Robin flashed a full-dimpled grin. "I'm honored, your majesty."
"You know who I am?" Dread pooled in Regina's stomach.
Robin laughed. "Aye, milady, I know you well. You're Regina, the daughter of Henry Mills."
"You know my father?" Dread gave way to shock. He hadn't called her by her title. He'd deferred to her given name instead. Most highborn ladies and monarchs would scoff at such presumption, but Regina was downright…charmed by it.
"I know of him, yes," Robin explained gently. "When I was just a boy, my family used to buy grain from your father's mill. My own father never had a bad word to say about Henry Mills. Or his lovely daughter."
Regina felt a blush color her cheeks. "So, we haven't met before?"
Robin smiled ruefully as he repeated his own words. "I highly doubt I would ever forget meeting you, Regina."
Taking a deep breath, Regina stepped out of the shadows and looked up into her soulmate's face for the first time. Everything from his sandy blonde hair and scruffy chin to his dimpled cheeks and broad shoulders seemed perfect to her. His blue eyes shined in the low light from the torches hanging overhead.
"What's your name?" She whispered breathlessly.
Robin started before announcing his name. He had been so entranced by her beauty that he nearly missed her question. From her luscious dark hair and olive skin to her deep brown eyes and full lips, he was just as captivated by her now as he had been a lifetime ago in Storybrooke.
"Robin Hood," His name sounded delicious on her lips. "The thief?"
"At your service!" He bowed to her playfully. "My merry men and I steal from the rich and give to the needy."
"Should I be frightened, then?" A spark of mischief lighted her eyes.
"Frightened? Never!" Robin teased. "Alert? Always."
Regina smiled, her apprehension melting away. "I have something to tell you. It might sound a little crazy."
"Crazy or not," Robin shrugged. "I'm all ears."
"I was brought here by magic. Pixie dust, to be exact," Regina explained. "It was supposed to lead me to my future happiness. To my soulmate."
Tears pricked Robin's eyes. "And it brought you here?"
"Yes!" She whispered in exhilaration. "I didn't think happiness was meant for me. True love already failed me once. But now that I'm here, everything feels right."
"I know what you mean, Regina," Robin reached for her hand and placed a delicate kiss on the back. "I've never felt this way before."
"Neither have I," She brought her free hand up to cup his cheek. "According to my fairy godmother, you are my soulmate, Robin Hood."
His answering smile could have lit up the night sky. "And you are mine, Regina Mills."
Their eyes met and they were instantly drawn to each other. Robin pulled her closer by the waist, while Regina's arms looped around his neck. Their lips met in a soft, heartfelt kiss that made both of their hearts soar.
A whoosh of magic emanated from deep within the two soulmates and flooded out in a dazzling ray of color and light.
"Robin?" Regina cried in astonishment, her hands on his face. "Is it really you? Are you really alive?!"
"Yes! Yes, my love, I am," He let his tears fall freely. Every memory that had begun to fade returned to him in stunning clarity. "I don't know how, but I woke here and I knew I had to find you."
"Page 23," She gasped. "Robin, this is it! That page from the storybook wasn't part of our past. It was our future."
The lovers smiled at each other through their tears, overwhelmed by the astounding gift they had been given. Their lips met once more in a powerful kiss that sealed their commitment to one another as soulmates – in the past, present and future.
And they lived happily ever after with a bunch of kids (including Henry and Roland). The End.